Hot Chocolate
by simply.melodie
Summary: Because sleepless nights are better spent with company ... and hot chocolate. Post-The Worst Couple, pre-Tori Goes Platinum. Bori. Tori POV. ONESHOT


**Disclaimer:** Any recognizable characters and places belong to Nickelodeon.

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**Hot Chocolate**

I rolled over onto my side for what must have been the billionth time that night and pulled the covers over my head. I'd gone to bed over two hours ago and yet, I was still lying here, unable to fall asleep. A quick glance at my alarm clock told me that it was nearly three in the morning. And I had school the next day. _Great_.

Groaning in frustration, I tossed the covers off and got out of my bed. Grabbing my Pear phone, I slipped on my boots and headed downstairs. Rubbing my eyes wearily with the back of my hand, I started to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. I just didn't understand why I couldn't go to sleep! Well, admittedly, I did know, but it wasn't something that I was very willing to admit, even to myself, because it just felt so _wrong_ to be thinking about things like that.

Sticking my cup into the microwave, I half-heartedly contemplated texting somebody to see if there was anybody else who was a crazy insomniac who couldn't fall asleep at three in the morning and was willing to keep me company. I shook my head and flopped down on the couch;_ nobody_ would be up at this time. It would be so much easier if André or Cat were still up – I just wanted somebody to talk to right now. But the problem was, Cat was like a child and had a really early bed time … and André, well, I really didn't think calling André in the middle of the night would be a very good idea unless I fancied waking his insane grandmother up and scaring the crap out of her. Which, would be kind of amusing, except that it would mean André would kill me for putting him through the hassle of calming her down.

"Argh!" I exclaimed, burying my face into my pillow. This was _not_ how I planned on spending my Tuesday night – I had actually wanted to _sleep_. But the problem was that I kept on thinking about _Beck_. And that's never a good thing because Jade can be possessive and angry, even if they _are_ broken up … and I didn't intend on dying before the age of 90.

Ever since his fallout with Jade, he'd been spending more and more time around me, because I was the _only_ one of Beck's friends that Jade couldn't tolerate. So if being around me meant not being around her, of course he's going to be around me a lot. And that was when the problem started. I mean, yea, I loved hanging out with Beck – he's cool, funny and so down-to-earth and nice, but spending that much time with somebody? You're bound to start having more-than-platonic feelings. Okay, I admit that I did used to have teeny, tiny crush on him when I started at Hollywood Arts, but that was nothing more than an infatuation and as I got to know him better, it just petered out into nothing more than friendship. Besides, he was taken, and I wasn't the type of girl to go around ruining relationships.

But now he's single and we spend _way _too much time together. My feelings that I thought were gone were starting to resurface again and that can never be a good thing, because if his type is anything like Jade, then he's _never_ going to go for a girl like me.

My thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of my cell phone, which indicated that I had received a new text message. '_Who the _hell_ is texting me at three in the morning? Actually, scratch that – who the hell is even up at this time_?' I grabbed my phone and quickly checked the message.

**Beck:** Hey Tori, you still up?

I stared at my phone in disbelief for a good minute before pulling myself out of my daze and tapping out a response.

**Tori:** So I'm not the only one being a crazy insomniac tonight? What are you doing up this late?

Smiling softly to myself, I went and got my hot chocolate out from the microwave. Somehow, seeing Beck's face on my screen had a calming effect on me. My phone beeped again and I picked it up to read the new message.

**Beck:** Good to know I'm not the only one going crazy here. Can I come over? I kind of just need some company.

He wanted to … what? It was three in the morning‼! I stared incredulously at my phone as I typed out another response.

**Tori:** Uh … if you want? I don't think I'm going to be sleeping anytime soon, but it's like … three in the morning.

His response came two seconds later:

**Beck: **Great, I'll be there in five minutes.

'_Great,'_ I thought sarcastically as I chucked my phone onto the other couch and sunk deeper into the one I was sitting on. He's coming over to my house in the middle of the night and we're going to be the only two people awake in my house. I mean, I was usually pretty good with self-control, but being_ alone_ with him in the middle of the night? I didn't know if I would be able to help myself, especially because there was nobody else around. I grabbed a couch cushion and buried my face into it. Looking up, I glanced at the cup of hot chocolate sitting innocently on the coffee table, picked it up and put it back down again. Suddenly, I wasn't craving it so much anymore, not with the butterflies in my stomach and Beck who could be showing up at any moment. I stared up at the ceiling in exasperation; when I'd asked for somebody I could talk to, I _hadn't_ meant Beck. What good would it do to talk to Beck? It wasn't like I could tell him what was going on!

My phone beeped again; another text message, probably Beck telling me to get the door for him. Without even bothering to check the message, I made my way to the door and swung it open. "You are _insane_," I said as he stepped into the house. "It's three in the morning‼ If you didn't have a car and a license, I probably would've said no." I closed the door quietly behind him as he took off his shoes.

He shrugged innocently as he went and sat down on the couch. Noticing the still-full cup on the coffee table, he picked it up and took a sip from it. "You're insane too, being up at three in the morning. Hot chocolate's good," he commented, holding the cup towards me. He took another sip.

"That's not mine; it's Trina's," I said, smiling amusedly as he all but spat his mouthful out. "Just kidding," I snickered, "but nobody told you to take my hot chocolate." I reached my hands out to take it from him, but he was too quick for me and moved the cup out of the way.

"That wasn't funny, Tori!" he said, but the slight grin on his face betrayed his angry voice. "Now I'm not going to give it back to you." He stood up and held the cup of hot chocolate above his head, way too high up for me to reach. Damn boys. Why did they have to be so tall?

I jumped up and down, taking swipes at the cup, but somehow, it was _still_ out of my reach. I scowled at Beck as I grabbed his arm, attempting to yank it down. _'Oops_,' I thought as the mug tilted and hot chocolate sloshed down his shirt. "Oops," I said sheepishly, voicing my thoughts. "Here, um … I'll fix that," I took the sleeve of my shirt and attempted to wipe the stain out with it.

"You're sweet, but I think you're making it worse, Tori," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Suddenly, I realized why he was smiling and I started laughing at the familiarity of it all. "Shut up, that was embarrassing," I said, referring to my first day of class. "Seriously … I spilled coffee on you and then Ja – I mean, I got coffee poured all over me," I said, quickly correcting myself before I could pull his ex-girlfriend into the conversation.

"That's what happens when you go to school with a bunch of drama freaks," he replied, ignoring my little slip-up. "Things tend to get overly dramatic sometimes."

"I almost stopped going to Hollywood Arts after that," I whispered quietly, like I was sharing some kind of secret with him. And then, I smiled brightly and looked up at him. "Here, let me just go and get you one of my dad's shirts so you don't have to smell like hot chocolate for the rest of the night." I took the cup from him and poured what little was left of the hot chocolate into the sink.

"Hey, I wanted to finish that!" his voice tapered off as I rounded a corner and went into the laundry room. Taking my dad's smallest shirt (much bigger than Beck is!), I walked back to the living room, where Beck had settled onto the couch.

"Here, change into this he's while I make myself some more hot chocolate, since _somebody_ made me spill mine," I gave him a disapproving frown as I tossed him the shirt and pulled out more hot chocolate mix.

"Hey! I want some too!" he protested as he pulled his shirt off.

I quickly turned away; I would _not_ be caught staring at his toned body! "Well, you don't get any," I smiled to myself, "Marshmallows?" I held the bag of mini marshmallows out towards him. I stuck the two cups into the microwave and went to sit next to him. "C'mon, you know you want some," I jiggled the bag of sweet confections in front of him.

"Do I get hot chocolate if I have some?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

"You must be desperate for that hot chocolate," I said, rolling my eyes at him. "Is it really that good?"

"The best," he smiled innocently. "Did you make it?"

"Yea, with hot chocolate mix," I snorted. "And if it makes you feel any better, you're not the first person to really like it. André said it was good too."

A look of anger flashed across his face so fast that I couldn't even be sure it was there. Anger? Why was he angry? "Does André pay you late-night visits too?" he asked in a light, joking voice – only it seemed kind of strained to me.

"Just once," I said as the microwave beeped. I got up to go and get our mugs of hot chocolate and promptly sat down next to him again, handing him one of the cups.

Taking a sip of his, he asked, "Why?"

"Because …" I said, my voice trailing off as my eyes widened in horror at what I'd just said. I couldn't tell him that André had had a crush on his then-girlfriend! Even if they weren't together _now_ and André was probably over his small crush, infatuation, whatever you wanted to call it, it still wouldn't be right to be telling Beck any of this. If anything, it should be coming from André, not a friend that André told. "Because … he needed to talk about something." I finished lamely. I covered for my lack of excuse by taking a large gulp of my hot chocolate and promptly choking on it.

He set his hot chocolate down on the table so that he could pat me on the back while I continued to cough. "Maybe we should go outside before your parents hear you coughing and come down and see what the hell you're doing up at three in the morning," he suggested once I was finished choking.

Nodding, I led him through the back door to our back patio. Sitting down on the patio seat, I gestured for him to sit down next to me. Once he did, I pointed to the sky and said, "I didn't think it was possible to see the stars from here."

"They're beautiful," he said in a breathy voice and I could practically hear his smile. "Usually, the sky isn't this clear. We're just lucky that tonight is beautiful enough for us to see the stars. See, there's the big dipper … and there's the small dipper …" he said, pointing up into the sky.

I smiled amusedly at him while my gaze followed his finger as he traced out the constellations for me. "Okay, enough small talk," I said, taking another sip of my hot chocolate. "Why are you here? Besides, you know, not being able to sleep."

He shrugged noncommittally. "I couldn't sleep and I wanted some company. And you just happened to be the only person insane enough to be up at this time."

"Need I remind you that you're sitting right next to me, just as awake as I am?" I punched his arm gently before returning my attention to the hot beverage in my hand. Physical contact was _so_ not a good idea right now.

"Yea, but I never denied the fact that I'm insane."

"C'mon, Beck, there has to be a reason that you're here at my house at three in the morning, and it's _not_ the fact that you can't sleep. No normal person goes barging into other people's homes in the middle of the night just because they can't sleep."

He groaned and ran a hand through his hair – something that I found _very_ sexy, although I would never admit it to _anybody_. "It's just … I can't stop thinking about her! Every time I close my eyes, her face flashes across my mind and suddenly, I'm wide awake!"

I sat there and blinked in shock, taken aback by his sudden outburst. _Woah_. Where had _that_ come from? I was not expecting that. "Wait, wait, wait … so you're telling me you can't sleep because you keep thinking about a girl?" I gave a high-pitched laugh, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. "Who is it? Do I know her?"

He ran a hand through his hair again – god, I wished he would stop doing that – and stared at me with large innocent eyes.

I held my hands up to stop him before he could say anything. "Wait … are you still in love with _Jade_? It's her, isn't it?"

"What! No," he said indignantly. "Whatever gave you _that_ impression?"

"I don't know … it's just hard to get over somebody that you've been together with for nearly three years," I shrugged and stared down at my hot chocolate. Him being together with Jade, I could handle – I'd already gotten so used to seeing the two of them together. Him with another girl … I wasn't quite sure I would handle it as well, knowing that he had chosen her over me.

"Yea, it was nearly three years, but … to be honest, at the end, we were just holding on to the broken threads of our relationship; the feelings had started fading and we were arguing more and more – too much for either of us to handle. And on top of that, I guess I was starting to like somebody else as well."

I sucked in a deep breath. "I'm already starting to feel sorry for that girl and I don't even know who she is," I said, trying to keep the bitterness out of my laugh. "She's going to have one _hell_ of a time putting up with Jade." I polished off the rest of my hot chocolate and put the cup down on the ground in front of me, pulling my legs up onto the seat to sit cross-legged.

"Don't remind me; Jade already hates her enough as it is. I don't even want to start thinking about what would happen to her if I started dating her. And that's another problem, because I don't even think she likes me back," he sighed and rubbed his face with his hand.

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a lilting laugh. "_Every_ girl at Hollywood Arts likes you. Maybe not Cat, though," I added quickly when he gave me an incredulous look, "But I don't think Cat is mature enough to be liking _anybody_ at … it's _Cat_?" I asked, my mouth popping open as I stared at him incredulously. "Wooah. I wasn't expecting that one! If you tell her, you'd better make sure that Jade doesn't get to her, because I'm going to _kill_ you if Cat gets – "

I was abruptly cut off by Beck, who was now promptly forcing the hot chocolate in his cup down my throat in an attempt to shut me up. "Argh, Beck!" I gurgled as I pushed his cup away from my mouth. I wiped the remaining hot chocolate from my face with the back of my hand. "That was so uncalled for!"

His laughter echoed into the night and I couldn't help thinking that his laugh sounded _beautiful_ – just like him, just like his voice. I shook my head to clear it – there was no way I could be having these feelings for him, not when he might like one of my best friends!

"Would you please stop jumping to insane conclusions and let me finish talking? I don't even know where you're pulling all of this from."

"Well, the only girl I can think of that's most likely not to return your feelings is Cat! I mean, maybe sometimes I think she likes Robbie, but mostly, I just think that she's a little too childish to think about anybody that way."

"Tori, it's not Cat. Relax. And if it was … I don't think I would tell her; sweet innocent Cat wouldn't be able to handle Jade's fury."

"Okay, so if it's not Cat, then who is it?" I twirled a strand of hair and looked at him with mock seriousness. "You can't hide it from me forever, Beckett Oliver. I'm going to find out who it is tonight, if it's the last thing I do!"

He leaned back against the seat and sighed. "Can we not go there yet? If it ever comes down to me confessing, I want her to be the first person to hear it. I hope that's not too much to ask."

"Of course not," I said, trying to keep my voice level. Briefly, I wondered if he could hear how brittle my voice sounded or if it was just my imagination. _'Don't cry_,' I urged myself to keep my emotions bottled up and gave him what I hoped was a friendly smile. "Then, tell me about her. What's she like?"

"Well, she might be the most amazing girl that I know; she's sweet, kind, beautiful, down-to-earth … and to top it all off, she has an amazing voice to boot." His lips curved into a smile and he got this faraway look in his eyes – and that was when I knew that this was the real deal; he was really in love with this girl … and I had no chance whatsoever with him.

"You're whipped," I said in a teasing voice, gently nudging him in the ribs with my elbow. "You are _so_ totally in love with this girl that it's not even funny. I think you should just tell her. If she's as nice as you say she is, then she wouldn't make fun of you for your feelings. I'm sure she likes you too, Beck. Don't underestimate your charm." The wind picked up then and I involuntarily shivered and shifted slightly closer to him, hoping that some of his body heat would radiate towards me.

He must have felt me shivering, because he put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to his body. "I would give you my sweater, but you kind of spilled hot chocolate on it," he said wryly. "And I would offer you the rest of my drink too, but it's kind of not even hot anymore, so that would be useless. Feeling a bit warmer?" he asked as he tightened his hold on my shoulder.

My vocal chords weren't cooperating with me at that crucial moment, so all I could do was nod mutely and hope that he'd seen, or at least felt, me. My heart was hammering in my chest and my palms were starting to sweat. This was _not_ supposed to be happening. He was supposed to be telling me about his undying love for this other girl, not sitting here with his arms around me, giving me false hope.

We sat there in an awkward silence. Well, it was awkward for me; I'm not so sure how bad it was for him.

"So …?" I said, in an attempt to break the silence. "Are you gonna tell her?"

"You're too nosey," he said, teasingly pinching my cheek with his thumb and forefinger. "I'll tell you if anything happens, but for now, I think it would be in her best interest if I didn't say anything. I mean, she would have to put up with _Jade_. I don't want her dying before we can get married and have kids." His voice was teasing, so I knew that he was just kidding around, but it still hurt to know that he was so in love with somebody else that he was comfortable talking about a possible marriage and possible children with them.

"Besides," he added, "I _really_ don't think she likes me back."

"Really?" I looked at him incredulously. "Been through this, Beckett, you have all the Hollywood Arts girls falling at your knees."

"Nuh-uh," he said, "Not her. Honest. I actually think she likes André."

I spluttered, and was glad that I had finished my drink already and didn't have it in my hand; otherwise I would be choking on it. "You think somebody likes André and you didn't tell me?"

"Well, it's her business, not mine, right? Besides, I'm not even sure if it's true. And that's besides the point; what I'm worried about is that she's not going to like me."

I sighed and took his cup of hot chocolate out of his hand. Taking a sip of it, I said, "I swear to god this is the first time that I've _ever_ seen you being all wonky over a girl. It wasn't even this bad with Jade. Ever." I bit my lip. "Let me ask you something … would you rather not say anything to her and regret it later, or would you rather tell her the truth and risk a simple rejection?"

He sighed and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger. "It's not just that … I'm kind of, you know, scared of making it awkward between the two of us. If she doesn't like me, I would still like to be her friend … and I don't know if that's possible if I tell her my feelings. It would just make things … _awkward_. And I don't want to do that, not with a great girl like her."

"So it all comes down to regret: would you rather continue with your life and not tell her? And then maybe ten years from now, you're going to think about her and wonder what would have happened if you had said something. The whole _'what if it could have worked'_ kind of sentiment. Are you going to be okay with that regret when you grow older?" I asked him in a quiet voice. And at the same time, I was wondering the same thing of myself. What if, ten years from now, I looked back at my past and wondered if things ever could have worked out with Beck and then regretted never telling him how I felt? But no; I shook my head. It was completely different – I already knew that there was no way Beck liked me. I mean, he was sitting right next to me, telling me all about this amazing girl that he was in love with; there was no way he would give up a girl like that for a girl like me.

He sighed in defeat as he ran his hand through his hair again. "I guess you're right. I don't want to give up an opportunity with a girl like that. And she's great – I don't think she would let a little mishap like that ruin our friendship right?" he cracked a slight smile at me.

"Right," I said, crossing my arms across my chest and giving him what I hoped was a triumphant look. "See, and Trina says I'm bad at – "

I was abruptly cut off a pair of lips crashing down on mine. A very familiar pair of lips; in fact, one of the only pairs of lips that I've ever kissed since moving to Hollywood Arts. "I – but – wha?" I asked stupidly when he pulled away.

"I like you, Tori Vega. I've liked you for a really long time now."

I stared wordlessly at him, my mouth agape. "You … what? I thought – but – " I took a deep breath and tried again. "But I thought you liked some amazing girl … not plain old me," I admitted in a quiet voice.

"You _are_ amazing, Tori. You sing well, dance well, act well – you do everything amazingly. And you're so nice to everybody, even if they're not nice to you and you're friends with everybody at school. You're extraordinary – everybody thinks so, so don't you dare think otherwise."

"Beck …" I whispered, my eyes filling with tears – tears of happiness this time. "You're so sweet," I mumbled, burying my face into his chest. "I didn't think somebody as awesome as you are could ever like me. I ... you know … I've liked you for a long time. I just – I never thought …"

"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry," he said, gently running his thumb across my cheek and wiping my tears away. "You're supposed to be happy!"

"I am – happy," I said, my breath hitching.

"Good," he smiled down at me before leaning over and pressing his lips against mine again and this kiss wasn't so innocent, but it wasn't rough or rushed either. It was slow, passionate and full of love. His mouth started to move against mine and all sane thought seemed to leave my mind. "Beck …" I mumbled as he brushed his tongue along my bottom lip. I moaned quietly when he slipped his tongue into my mouth, gently massaging my tongue with his. And all I could think about was the taste of him, mingled with the sweet taste leftover from the hot chocolate that was still sitting on the ground in front of us, and I didn't think that I'd_ ever_ tasted anything better. His hands spanned the small of my back and he pulled me flush against him, leaving no space between the two of us.

Eventually, we parted and he rested his forehead gently against mine. "So … you'll really go out with me?" he asked, a little breathily. His eyes crinkled as the corners of his lips pulled up into a smile. "Even if it means facing Jade and her ferocity?"

"Don't ruin it," I grumbled. "Yes, I will go out with you." I laid my head on his shoulder and he extracted his hand from my waist and draped it over my shoulder, pulling me a little closer to him. We wasted the night away, whispering to each other about nothing in particular, sharing a few kisses here and there and eventually, we fell asleep like that, with my head on his shoulder and his arm around mine. Because sleepless nights_ are_ better spent with company. Until your parents wake up and find you curled up with your boyfriend. And then it gets kind of messy.

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**E.N.D**

**A/N:** For some reason, I've been slightly obsessed with Victorious, mainly Bori, and somehow this came out. I'm gonna have another fic based off this pairing _soooon_. Review please! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


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